Groce plans to stick with new lineup after ending eight-game skid at Penn State

Unless the freshmen start behaving like superstars, Illinois coach John Groce expects to maintain the lineup he used at Penn State that helped end an eight-game losing streak.

"We're leaning in that direction," Groce said Monday on the weekly Big Ten coaches teleconference. "As long as they don't come in here and cannot fit their heads through the door."

In their first starts since high school, Kendrick Nunn and Malcolm Hill helped the Illini to a 60-55 victory Sunday. Nunn scored a career-best 19 points, including a key 3-pointer with 22 seconds remaining, and Hill added 11 points.

Groce said he considered making the move a week or two ago but wanted to make sure the freshmen were ready to handle the responsibility and had improved their defense. He was looking for a "blend" of veterans and young players coming into their own.

"I didn't feel quite like those guys had earned it yet," he said. "I wanted them to be held accountable on the defensive end. I thought Hill and Nunn made significant progress (on defense). The combination of those two things led to the decision. We thought Nunn and Hill earned that opportunity and were ready."

Previously, the entire Illini bench consisted of freshmen.

Groce credited veterans Joseph Bertrand and Jon Ekey for handling the move to the bench with maturity.